Horses, Horsing Around, and Year of the Fire Horse
When is the last time you horsed around?
Be like a horse this year, the Year of the Fire Horse.
Photo of a handsome steed’s face by
Pieter van Noorden at Unsplash.
Lunar New Year Blessings
I am still here. My blog entries slowed down last December and then went totally quiet. For the most part, the long break was not intentional. After the holidays, I attempted to jump into routines as January began. But there were obstacles. The usual “beginning of the year” family health care things needed attention. Work projects took time to organize. Then things got strange: the kitchen sink broke at the same time that the furnace needed a new control panel. Water and mess on the floor, repair people coming and going several times, and the house was cold during the rains of January. I wore a jacket and a hat in the house throughout most of January while keeping a space heater by my side. The repair people were prompt, things eventually got fixed, but the 2025 year had also been an intense year for our family with two deaths at the end of the year. This meant the holidays and the start of the year were also grim and heavy. On top of that: My writing routine fell apart! Each time I sat down to write, other things would happen. I got interrupted by these innocent emergencies, and family just needed extra tender loving care and support. At times, I honestly felt I had writer's block, sitting there tapping out a rhythm on the keyboard only to discover the end result of my writing felt like… total cement. There was no flow! Sigh. I wrote “badly” many days in a row. It was kind of funny after a while.
Then, weeks passed.
At the very end of January, I posted a message/blog, and the email newsletter weirdly landed in spam for most people! Hardly anyone read it. Sheesh.
A few of you wondered what happened to me.
Thank you.
I love you for checking in and even just wondering.
I am back now, and I am kind of relieved that it is now the Year of the Fire Horse.
Many things have shifted, but big things are intense and even horrible in the world.
Things have always been like that throughout history: bloody wars, injustice, disease, harshness, brutality, suffering, delusions, and loss. These have always been with us. Even the great thinkers and teachers of the past never had it easy. Ghandi, Jesus, Rumi, Marcus Aurelius, Lao Tzu, and Chuangtze—to name a few—lived during brutal and horrible times marked by oppression, plagues, conflict, and division. Today, we humans are more aware than ever about these intense things in the digital age. Carrying the smartphone, we always have access to worldly knowledge and information and events at our fingertips. We can feel like we are “always on,” always on alert. It is exhausting, and life is hard enough as it is. My recommendation for cultivating a right relationship with the smartphone is to recognize that it is ongoing. It takes commitment and focus to take real breaks from your phone and from anything really (like work, the news). Take real breaks, go outside and talk to real human beings instead of “scrolling” throughout the day. That takes commitment.
Year of the Horse
The Year of the Horse may have supportive energies for you to help you cope with modern living in this “digital age.”
Just think about horses for a minute.
Horses are beautiful.
— So, see beauty everywhere as much as possible this year. Seeing beauty in simple things is best. Wear your favorite colors, textures, and fabrics. Listen to beautiful music. Seek out inspirational stories. Appreciating something beautiful takes you out of the stress of the world for a moment. It makes you look up and stop. Beauty can even take your breath away in the nicest way.
Horses have exquisite nervous systems. They are sensitive and can get spooked or angry.
— So, take care of your nervous system this year. Get your sleep and eat your veggies. Drink water. Tame your smartphone use. Do your deep breathing. Pray. Meditate. Be gentle. Develop your intuition and inner sensing. It’s a great year to do these things, a great year to do meditative arts (Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, meditation).
Horses need freedom to run free.
— So, do things that make you feel free. This is personal. It may mean dreaming a little and being honest about what you want to do or have always wanted to do. For me, it has meant lining up little projects that have been forgotten. Among other things, I have lined up a poetry-writing project that has been sitting in the corner waiting to come to life. It’s time.
Horses are fiery, and the Fire Horse is extra fiery.
— So balance the fire with respect and discernment. Fiery energy means passion, quick changes and fast movement. Things will come and go this year. It’s okay to take time to think things through, say no to things if they don’t feel right or don’t align with what you are doing, and, of course, say yes (“hell yeah!”) to the things that matter. Balance the fire with gentleness. Get out in nature. Move slowly and gently sometimes. It's a great year to learn Tai Chi where you are continually “relaxing, and sinking” as you do the Tai Chi movements and connect with the earth. Earth energy will be very balancing this year. I found that even just wearing earth tones is helpful and calming in these first days of the Year of the Fire Horse.
Horses know how to work.
—So, work steadily and build foundations. Think things through and be strategic when you work. The phrase “work horse” can apply to tools and techniques that are proven. Your reputation as the “work horse” of the team may come on strong this year, so be sure to balance all that hard work with rest. Then also remember item number 6 below….
Horses can also be playful.
— So, horse around a little and laugh. Laughter comes from the heart, and “horsing around” can be about goofing off and being lighthearted with yourself and others when working or taking a real break from work, the news, and the energy of the world.
This Year is Also About Your Sense of Time
Because Chinese astrology follows the lunar cycles, it is a different way of thinking about time. In Chinese culture, time flows in cycles that repeat and rhyme. Thinking of time in new ways can offer an opportunity to consider what your time means to you this year and always. Rob Kosberg, CEO of a highly successful publishing company, said “Time is not like money, because you can’t make up for lost time! But you can always make more money.” I appreciate the statement for the sense of priority (time is precious) and for its confidence in life and self (you can always make money!). On that note, I recommend doing an exercise for thinking about time: Seeing where your time/the time goes. Write down and track your activities throughout the day for a day or two so you can see patterns. Doing this is a way of asking,
“What am I choosing right now?”
Just take a look throughout the day for a day or two. It may be an eye-opener!
This year, use your time wisely and befriend the horse. Flow with the ways of the horse, and see what happens. Whatever happens, may you move with ease and confidence and stay connected with your true self.
Many blessings for the year!